Queens Baton Relay

The Queens Baton Relay is one of the greatest traditions of the Commonwealth Games, having been the curtain-raiser to every Games since Cardiff 1958. The relay represents the gathering of people from across the Commonwealth at the four-yearly festival of sport and culture. The Queen's Baton will travel through all the Commonwealth countries in anticipation of it lands in India where it will spend 100 days touring the 28 states.

It will then be taken to its final destination, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games, where Her Majesty's message will be read aloud to the athletes.

Queen's Baton Relay 2014

The Queens Baton Relay has evolved into a powerful symbol of the unity and diversity of the Commonwealth of Nations. With each Games, the tradition grows in scale and significance - including more nations, involving more applicants and generating more excitement than ever before but the Delhi 2014 Baton's journey is planned to be the biggest yet.

It is set to be the longest and most technically advanced of the Baton Relays to date. The baton's journey symbolizes the agreement and shared ideals of the Commonwealth of Nations, and enables communities beyond the Host City to share the Games celebrations.

It also serves a decisive purpose in carrying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's 'message to the athletes' from Buckingham Palace in London to the opening ceremony of the Games. The baton will travel through all other 70 Commonwealth nations - a historic journey that will cover a distance of more than 170,000 kilometres in 240 days. On its 100 day national tour, the baton will visit the capital of each of India's 28 states and seven union territories, plus many other cities along the way, covering more than 20,000 kilometers.

By the end of its journey, the baton will have crossed over 190,000 kilometres in 340 days, making the Queen's Baton Relay 2010 Delhi one of the longest relays in the history of the Commonwealth Games. The baton will also have passed through thousands of hands, and travelled by different modes of transport across land, air and sea. The relay will bring to a close after the final Batonbearer enters the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games on 3 October 2010 where Her Majesty's message will be removed from the baton and read aloud, officially opening the Games.